• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.1011-1020
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• 2018

This study aims to develop a drought monitoring scheme based on groundwater which can be exploit for water supply under drought stress. In this context, groundwater level can be used as a proxy for better understanding the temporal evolution of drought state. First, kernel density estimator is presented in the monthly groundwater level over the entire national groundwater stations. The estimated cumulative distribution function is then utilized to map the monthly groundwater level into the standardized groundwater level index (SGI). The SGI for each station was eventually converted into the index for major cities through the Thiessen polygon approach. We provide a drought classification for a given SGI to better characterize the degree of drought condition. Ultimately, we conclude that the proposed monitoring framework enables a more reliable estimation of the drought stress, especially for a limited water supply area.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.291-301
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• 2017

This study was carried out to investigate distribution on the alien plants in the Gyeong-in Ara Waterway. The alien plants were a total of 82 taxa: 17 families, 63 genera, 80 species, and 2 varieties. This number corresponds to 25.5% of alien plants identified in Korea. The proportion of alien plants in every year was increased from upstream to downstream. As the result of the analysis on vegetation stratification, bank of waterside was covered with artificial materials preventing existence of vegetation, and had step-type cross section. Floodplain was composed of waterfront area. An array of vegetation was not typical dispersion, and terrestrial and alien plants were dominated the Gyeong-in Ara Waterway. Evaluation of naturalness based on the vegetation stratification showed grade 3 or 4. In order to solve a problem, method and level of restoration should be decided based on the result of diagnostic assessment. Therefore, we need to restore the step-type cross section as pool type one. From waterside to bank in this waterway, we recommend to introduce natural plants by imitating reference species composition. Since, an invasion of alien plants is expected to be accelerated due to the continuous artificial disturbance, we recommend to quantitative investigation on the invasion of alien plants and monitoring on the change of distribution.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.355-361
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• 2017

In this study, we investigated the response of freshwater oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex, to the water temperature changes and the differences of substrate composition in a laboratory condition. The changes of body shape were observed in a test cage according to the water temperature change ranging from $10^{\circ}C$ to $30^{\circ}C$ with $2^{\circ}C$ interval every 10 minutes. The substrate preference was observed with four different substrate composition from silt-clay to coarse sand. Our results displayed that T. tubifex preferred substrates with the smallest particle size (<0.063 mm). The water temperature influenced on the activity and body shape of T. tubifex, showing low activity with the coiled and constricted body shapes at lower temperature and high activity with relaxed linear body shapes at higher temperature.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.233-246
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• 2020

A scientific name is one of changeable terms in biology whenever additional research results of specific taxa is accumulated. The Database of the National Species List of Korea (DBNKo) was developed to manage taxonomic information of Korean species, designed to describe the changeable and complex taxonomical structure and information. A Korean Taxonomical Serial Number (KTSN) was assigned to each taxon, different from the normally used systems that the scientific name was considered as primary key to manage higher rank of taxa systematically. Common names were also treated with the KTSN, reflecting that common name is considered as one type of taxon. Additional taxonomic information (e.g., synonyms, original names, and references) was also added to the database. A web interface with an intuitive dashboard presenting taxonomic hierarchical structure is provided to experts and/or managers of the DBNKo. Currently, several biological databases are available in the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) such as a specimen database, a digital library, a genetic information system, and the shared species data based on the DBNKo. The DBNKo started sharing species information with other institutions such as the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources. It is an ideal centralized species database to manage standardized information of Korean species.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.602-607
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• 2017

Background: Panax ginseng is a traditional herb used for medicinal purposes in eastern Asia. P. ginseng contains various ginsenosides with pharmacological effects. In this study, floralginsenoside A (FGA), ginsenoside Rd (GRD), and ginsenoside Re (GRE) were purified from P. ginseng berry. Methods: Chemical structures of FGA, GRD, and GRE were determined based on spectroscopic methods, including fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy, ID-nuclear magnetic resonance, and infrared spectroscopy. Inhibitory activities of these compounds on melanogenesis were studied by measuring the expression of protein and melanin content in the melan-a cell line. This inhibitory activity was confirmed by observing pigmentation and tyrosinase activities of zebrafish. Results: GRD, GRE, and FGA were not cytotoxic at concentrations less than $20{\mu}M$, $80{\mu}M$, and $160{\mu}M$ in melan-a cells, respectively. GRD, GRE, and FGA inhibited melanin biosynthesis in melan-a cells by 15.2%, 22.9%, and 23.9% at $20{\mu}M$, $80{\mu}M$, and $160{\mu}M$, respectively. FGA was observed to display the most potent inhibitory effect. In addition, FGA decreased microphthalmia-associated transcription factor protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, FGA induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation level in melan-a cells. In addition, melanin pigment content and tyrosinase activity in zebrafish treated with FGA at $160{\mu}M$ were reduced. Conclusion: FGA showed the most potent inhibition of melanogenesis in both in vitro and in vivo studies. This study suggests that FGA purified from P. ginseng may be an effective melanogenesis inhibitor.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.400-410
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• 2015

Juniperus chinensis (Cupressaceae) is a valuable woody plant resource, but this rare plant is only distributed in restricted regions in Korea. In this study, we surveyed the geographic distribution regions, variation of sex ratio and the dynamics of natural populations of J. chinensis. in order to establish conservation strategies for the sustainable conservation of this important resource tree. The 17 natural populations of J. chinensis are restrictively distributed in the shore cliffs of (1) Ulleungdo island, (2) Gyeongju-si to Gangneung-si of the eastern coast, the riverside cliff along (3) Donggang-river of Jungsun-gun and Pyeongchang-gun and (4) branch of Nakdonggang-river in Uiseong-gun. The populations in Ulleungdo island showed continuous population distribution of over 200 individuals, but populations in other regions had discontinuous population distribution of under 200. The population of J. chinensis surveyed in Korea was estimated in ca. 3,200 individuals. The sex ratio (male/female) among populations of J. chinensis was diverse with variation from 0.46~1.67 range, but showed no significance. The sex ratio of the total individuals by species level was 0.74, and the percentage of female tree was significantly higher than the male. The results of dynamics analysis within population among regions showed that seedlings and saplings of J. chinensis in three regions surveyed were continuously regenerating. The distribution of DBH class showed a stable population structure of inverse J shape graph, but fragmentation and decrease in populations because of invading broad-leaved shrubs and trees from the surroundings were concerned. Further studies, and in situ and ex situ conservation strategies for the sustainable conservation on natural populations of this rare resources woody plant, J. chinensis in Korea are recommended.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.165-172
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• 2017

Background: This study investigated the temporal variation in soil $CO_2$ efflux and its relationship with soil temperature and precipitation in the Quercus glauca and Abies koreana forests in Jeju Island, South Korea, from August 2010 to December 2012. Q. glauca and A. koreana forests are typical vegetation of warm-temperate evergreen forest zone and sub-alpine coniferous forest zone, respectively, in Jeju island. Results: The mean soil $CO_2$ efflux of Q. glauca forest was $0.7g\;CO_2\;m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$ at $14.3^{\circ}C$ and that of A. koreana forest was $0.4g\;CO_2\;m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$ at $6.8^{\circ}C$. The cumulative annual soil $CO_2$ efflux of Q. glauca and A. koreana forests was 54.2 and $34.2t\;CO_2\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. Total accumulated soil carbon efflux in Q. glauca and A. koreana forests was 29.5 and $18.7t\;C\;ha^{-1}$ for 2 years, respectively. The relationship between soil $CO_2$ efflux and soil temperate at 10 cm depth was highly significant in the Q. glauca ($r^2=0.853$) and A. koreana forests ($r^2=0.842$). Soil temperature was the main controlling factor over $CO_2$ efflux during most of the study period. Also, precipitation may affect soil $CO_2$ efflux that appeared to be an important factor controlling the efflux rate. Conclusions: Soil $CO_2$ efflux was affected by soil temperature as the dominant control and moisture as the limiting factor. The difference of soil $CO_2$ efflux between of Q. glauca and A. koreana forests was induced by soil temperature to altitude and regional precipitation.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.275-285
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• 2021

Algal bloom is an important issue in maintaining the safety of the drinking water supply system. Fast detection and classification of algae images are essential for the management of algal blooms. Conventional visual identification using a microscope is a labor-intensive and time-consuming method that often requires several hours to several days in order to obtain analysis results from field water samples. In recent decades, various deep learning algorithms have been developed and widely used in object detection studies. YOLO is a state-of-the-art deep learning algorithm. In this study the third version of the YOLO algorithm, namely, YOLOv3, was used to develop an algae image detection model. YOLOv3 is one of the most representative one-stage object detection algorithms with faster inference time, which is an important benefit of YOLO. A total of 1,114 algae images for 30 genera collected by microscope were used to develop the YOLOv3 algae image detection model. The algae images were divided into four groups with five, 10, 20, and 30 genera for training and testing the model. The mean average precision (mAP) was 81, 70, 52, and 41 for data sets with five, 10, 20, and 30 genera, respectively. The precision was higher than 0.8 for all four image groups. These results show the practical applicability of the deep learning algorithm, YOLOv3, for algae image detection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.625-632
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• 2018

Malaria remains one of the leading health burdens in the developing world, especially in several sub-Saharan Africa countries; and Uganda has some of the highest recorded measures of malaria transmission intensity in the world. It is evident that the prevalence of malaria infection, the incidence of disease, and mortality from severe malaria remain very high in Uganda. Although the recent stable political and economic situation in the last few decades in Uganda supported for a fairly good appreciation of malaria control, the declines in infection, morbidity, and mortality are not sufficient to interrupt transmission and this country is among the top 4 countries with cases of malaria, especially among children under 5 years of age. In fact, Uganda, which is endemic in over 95% of the country, is a representative of challenges facing malaria control in Africa. In this study, we evaluated an active case detection program in 6 randomly selected villages, Uganda. This program covered a potential target population of 5,017 individuals. Our team screened 12,257 samples of malaria by active case detection, every 4 months, from February 2015 to January 2017 in the 6 villages (a total of 6 times). This study assessed the perceptions and practices on malaria control in Kiyuni Parish of Kyankwanzi district, Uganda. Our study presents that the incidence of malaria is sustained high despite efforts to scale-up and improve the use of LLINs and access to ACDs, based on the average incidence confirmed by RDTs.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2019

For successful microalgal biodiesel production, the strain should be selected carefully. Fast growth rate and high fatty acid contents are desired traits for algal biodiesel production. In ocean cultivation of microalgae, seawater temperature slowly changes over seasons, and rotating algal strains in accordance with their optimal temperature could improve overall productivity. Additionally, use of indigenous strain is preferred to alleviate potential impacts on the environment. In this study, five strains of Tetraselmis sp. from nearshore of Youngheung Island, Incheon, Korea, were isolated during winter and characterized for their growth patterns and fatty acid compositions in the low temperatures ($5-15^{\circ}C$). The five strains showed various characteristics in optimal growth temperature, fatty acid contents, and compositions. Compared with a strain of Tetraselmis sp., isolated from Ganghwa island in a previous study, a rapid-growing strain with 237% higher biomass productivity and an oleaginous strain with twice higher fatty acid contents at $10^{\circ}C$ were isolated. The oleaginous Tetraselmis strain showed the highest fatty acid productivity among the strains, having 438% higher productivity than the previous strain. Using the new isolates in the seasons with low seawater temperature would improve microalgal fatty acid productivity in ocean cultivation.